A Legacy

As the proud (very, very proud) grandfather of 3 (soon to be 4) wonderful young people and children, one of my greatest concerns is what type of legacy I will leave for them. I don’t mean legacy in the way that most career politicians use the term….a notable political achievement. No, the legacy that I seek is the one that is firmly implanted on their hearts and their characters. Each of them has unique talents and abilities that equip them well for becoming producers and contributors as they mature. For any living thing to flourish it must have the proper atmosphere or environment. My hope as I mold my legacy is that I do enough to provide my grandchildren with a healthy environment for their personal development.

Like many people I have a desire that I want my grandchildren to remember me, but I prefer that they always recall what they have learned from me. My own maternal grandfather was a great source of wisdom for me as I was growing up, and even though I do not get to spend as much time with my grandchildren as I enjoyed with Grandpa, I would hope that I influence them in a similar fashion. Although I have many preferences and priorities, I do not necessarily want to teach them what to think, but I do wish to help them to learn to think rationally. Certainly I hope that they become warm-hearted and generous, but I wish their minds would lead their hearts. There are innumerable opportunities for helping others, so it requires discernment and reason to choose the best method for achieving the most good.

If I were given absolute control over my grandchildren’s futures, I would bless them with the 4-F’s for their futures. Faith, family, freedom and fun are the cornerstones for a well-squared life in my view. It begins with faith because as a Christian, I understand G_d’s wisdom, mercy and grace. They have sustained me in my darkest times, and counseled prudence when I become too self important. Family is the anchor of this worldly life. If one is blessed to have a loving, forgiving and helping family, then most of life’s obstacles can be surmounted. Freedom is a gift from The Almighty, secured by His Son, and nourished by a loving family. Without liberty….without freedom…life can be robotic and unfulfilling. My definition of fun in this context is “doing what you love and loving what you’re doing.” A typical working lifetime is more than half a century long. To endure 50 years of drudgery damages the spirit. Fun at work, at play, at home or where ever is an important aspect of a complete life.

Obviously I want my grandchildren to share my faith and its comfort, but that is a personal matter between each of them and Him. Young people who are convinced that they are immortal often fail to see the need for a Savior. My prayer is that they discover and accept Him sooner rather than later. The supportive family dynamic is something that their parents, their grandmother and I can nurture each and every day. We must remember that our anxieties or impatience can sometimes undermine our desire to build the strong reliable family unit. My passionate desire to have my grandchildren yearn for liberty is one that I rant, rave, preach and speak about quite frequently. My fear is that my intensity may be somewhat off-putting for my beloved progeny.

Fun is a more difficult concept to transmit. The best method for doing so is to live it. Allow the kids to learn by observation and osmosis. We must encourage them to find their talents and their niches without pounding them into the round holes of our expectations and hopes for them. We must be willing to permit them to develop as square pegs as long as they do so with integrity and honor. The results will be worth it.

The beauty of a legacy of this nature is that it need not be probated. No attorney or the government will get a piece of the action when my grandchildren claim their inheritances. Who knows….they may try to tax it before I take my leave from this earth. If so, I’ll fight it. A legacy is a terrible thing to waste….paraphrasingly speaking.

Our Tuesday show will air tomorrow from 6:00-7:00pm on 1370 WSPD.  www.wspd.com

Comment: cearlwriting@hotmail.com

www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com

Giving Thanks plus the Weekender

Most writers submit their holiday copy for the day of or the day before the holiday. I’m writing this column reflectively…after the fact. I admit it. I do not express my thanks often enough. I frequently approach the Lord with my troubles, problems, issues and questions, but not to thank Him for His blessings and the “teachable moments” that spring from my trials. I do not thank those whom I love for being who they are. I do not thank them for their support, encouragement and compassion. For me it is easier to be a cheerful giver than a grateful thanker. Thank you to my family and for my family who sustain me when the going is rough and who comfort me when I stumble.

Thank you for the remnant of people who cherish liberty. The scattered group of individualists who recognize their inalienable rights to be free provide an earthly hope to complement my eternal hope. Thank you for the wisdom of the Founders and the Framers who were imperfect men and their counseling women. They recognized that their imperfections and weaknesses were common to all humanity, and they were driven to devise a system of self-governing that would encourage our better natures to thrive and prevail. As Thomas Paine observed in 1805, the great beauty of a democratic republic is its capacity for elective remorse…to change directions when one proves to be faulty or unwise. Corrective action is its most endearing asset because fallible people will not always choose wisely, but the ability to change or even reverse course is a fundamental principle. So once again, thanks for the remnant that is committed to changing from our present circumstances back to the dreams and designs of the Framers.

Thank you for our founding freedoms, and for those liberties that have endured decades of erosion. The freedom to speak freely and to dream of universal liberty has survived from the beginning, and, for the most part, is generally intact. While our freedoms have been restricted, I am thankful that we continue to have enough liberty to challenge the status quo and work for our nation’s restoration to first principles.

Although I have already expressed my thanks for my family, I especially want to thank the Almighty for my grandchildren. They are my primary impetus for needling, wheedling, whining, begging, pleading and teaching about the benefits of and necessity for liberty. I have not accomplished every goal that I have set during my life, but the prospect for doing so has always been available. I sense that for my grandchildren the prospects are much dimmer and the opportunities are fewer. They are savvier than Grandpa was at their ages, and their potential is so great if a smothering Nanny State doesn’t dash their dreams. They can be tremendous producers and contributors if Big Brother doesn’t extinguish the sparks that ignite them.

Finally, I am thankful because I have been blessed in numerous ways at unexpected times. I KNOW that they were not serendipity or coincidence, but true blessings. I have been blessed by all the people whom I’ve known throughout my six decades plus. Despite some friction with a few, I have learned something from everyone when I took the time to know them. Thank you for lessons learned, forgotten and recalled. Thank you to my readers and listeners on WSPD. If we were to meet on an elevator or in a Wal-Mart, we probably wouldn’t recognize one another, but we share a kinship. We want a government that does its duty….and no more. We wish for a land where liberty reigns and is not constantly challenged by the power structure. We share a love for freedom and sanity and accountability and responsibility and honor and integrity…..and a true sense of community. Because we share our dreams and desires, I’m honored to call you “Sister” and “Brother” as we work to turn on that shining light on the hill.

I do hope your Thanksgiving weekend is a blessing and a beginning. There will be no Littlestuff Weekender this week, but our Monday column will be posted. I’ll be sitting in for Fred LeFebvre from 6:00-9:00am Monday morning on 1370 WSPD, Toledo  www.wspd.com, then back with my regular Tuesday show from 6-7:00pm. Thank you.

Comments: cearlwriting@hotmail.com

www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com